Rain gardens continue to sprout in Saint Paul

Great River Greening is again joining Hamline-Midway and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods residents and friends in an effort improve the quality of our lakes and Mississippi River by planting 82 rain gardens along their boulevards over two days, bringing the total so far to 142 gardens since the project began in 2012.

This is a continuation of a project begun in last year, when the City of Saint Paul Public Works partnered with Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) to install boulevard rain gardens during street reconstruction. The city created a curb cut to allow water to enter the gardens, replaced the boulevard soil with a sandy rain garden mix and laid mulch.

Last year, 60 gardens were planted and homeowners assumed their maintenance.

A rain garden absorbs and filters the rain, which runs off hard surfaces such as roads, roofs, and sidewalks, into storm drains, carrying polluted water into area lakes and river. They are planted with a diverse mixture of native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs that attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects, and reduce flooding and erosion.